Republican Party

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Sen. Joni Ernst, a freshman Iowa Republican, delivered the GOP's official response to President Obama's address. (Associated Press)

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House Speaker John Boehner, left, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell meet with the press at the GOP retreat at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/PennLive.com, Mark Pynes ) ** FILE **

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So far, the GOP does not have much enthusiasm for a possible third run for the White House by former presidential candidate Mitt Romney. (Associated Press)

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Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat, reminded the GOP that funding the Department of Homeland Security is crucial in the wake of last week's Paris shootings. (Associated Press)

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Former Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney met with donors Friday, which was seen as a signal that he's ready to compete for the big donors and the key fundraisers who power the establishment wing of the GOP. (Associated Press)

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In a recent poll of likely 2016 Republican presidential candidates, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ranked well ahead of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney. (associated press)

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GOP political operative Phil Cox, who helped former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell get elected, has called Gov. Chris Christie the party's "best communicator." (Associated Press)

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GOP Base Obstacle Course (Illustration by Dana Summers of the Tribune Media Services)

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If Jeb Bush — the younger son of the 41st president and the brother of the 43rd commander in chief — is to blaze his own path to the nomination, it may have to follow the script of another famous Republican who fell from conservative grace yet captured the GOP's seal of approval: the 2012 version of Mitt Romney. (Associated Press)

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With a new Congress set to convene in January, Republicans are casting their lot with Democratic New York Sen. Charles Schumer, whose more moderate policies the GOP believes it can work with over the far more liberal beliefs trumpeted by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. (Associated Press)

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in and out of favor: With a new Congress set to convene in January, Republicans are casting their lot with Democratic New York Sen. Charles Schumer, whose more moderate policies the GOP believes it can work with over the far more liberal beliefs trumpeted by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. (associated press)

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Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, tried to take a stand on immigration enforcement and scuttled a deal arranged by Senate GOP leaders, thus allowing Democrats more time to approve key nominees before they lose control of the Senate at the end of the year. (Associated Press photographs)

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Iowa House Speaker and incoming chair of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee Kraig Paulsen said the GOP takeover at the state levels "translates to better public policy [and] greater opportunity for middle-class families." (Associated Press)

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Current and former Republican National Committee members are launching a private effort to leverage President Obama's amnesty for illegal immigrants into a campaign to lure independent voters and disgruntled Democrats to the GOP, The Washington Times has learned. (Associated Press)